On Sunday, an Egyptian man jumped to rescue his daughter after she got stuck on a railway as a moving train passed her by in Egypt's Ismailia station.
The father and daughter were crossing the tracks to get to the other side when the incident took place. They had thought the train on the railroad was parked. The man made it to a nearby platform before his young girl did; the latter hadn't reached safety when the train started moving.
Realizing that his daughter's life was in grave danger, the man jumped right onto the railway and shielded her with his own body as the train drove right past them, missing their bodies by a mere inch. Both the man and his daughter miraculously survived the incident with no injuries.
Tens of passengers at the train station witnessed the terrifying incident unfold and a few caught it on camera. Footage of the father's heroic act was then uploaded on social media and has garnered 4 million views at the time of writing.
The father was hailed by thousands for risking his own life to save his daughter, but not everyone sang him praises.
In response to the incident, Yaser Abdel Hamid, a supervisor at the Ismailia train station, quashed the original version of events that claimed the daughter had fallen on the train tracks. Abdel Hamid lashed out at the man, saying he was "negligent" for violating safety regulations and jumping onto the track.
"He and his daughter were crossing under [sic] a parked train. You're all hailing him as a super dad when he's just a careless father," he stated.
The supervisor added that he couldn't find any excuse for the father that would justify his actions especially since there is a bridge built over the railway for people to safely cross platforms at the station.
He also explained that the man could be fined 50 Egyptian pounds ($3) because he crossed the railway.
The man is now known as "Super baba"
Even after his statement, people continued to hail the man for jumping back in to save his daughter via a hashtag titled "Super baba."
A few explained that there is a lack of awareness when it comes to safety regulations at train stations in Egypt. Others explained that many people try to cross the railway when trains make stops to pick up passengers.
Many hailed the father as a hero
"The father who shielded his daughter before a train could run her over deserves to become a trend."
